It is also a subject many comedians have taken to task during standup comedy routines in an effort to not only entertain fans, but also bring awareness to excessive force brought on by police misconduct.

With that said, we’ve decided to highlight seven influential comedians who have warned us against police brutality through the years. Let us know your most memorable comedy sketch on police brutality in the comments section.

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 19: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs attends the Sean Diddy Combs “Step Into The Circle” Times Square Takeover in Times Square on November 19, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Pont/FilmMagic)

Shortly after a grand jury announced that Pantaleo would not be indicted for the death of Eric Garner in a prohibited police chokehold, Combs, 45, once again used his Instagram account to broadcast the following message to his 4.5 million followers:

#WATCH …….I can’t take it anymore! It’s Enough, and enough is enough! Honestly my emotions are all over the place. We as artists, myself included, all have to step up and be better leaders in our communities. It’s a hard burden to bear, but we have been chosen whether we like it or not. We need to do whatever we can in a POSITIVE way, to help unite people of all colors in this injustice! In order to be successful, it is very important that we have a well ORGANIZED, STRATEGIC plan. This is super important in order for us to make change!! REAL organization, REAL strategy and a TRUE commitment to not forget and move on like we usually do when the news stops reporting. This has to stop and we as a people are the only ones that can stop it. I truly do not have the right to preach, but I do have the right to speak. #EricGarner #MikeBrown #UNITE

A grand jury in Staten Island voted Wednesday not to indict New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being placed in a chokehold.

Garner, 43, died July 17 while he was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes. In a video of the arrest, which has since gone viral, Garner screams “I can’t breathe!” multiple times until his body goes limp. A medical examiner later said that he died of a chokehold, a move that is banned by the NYPD, and ruled his death a homicide.

Garner’s attorney said Wednesday that the “family is very upset and disappointed that these officers are not getting indicted for any criminal conduct.”

Pantaleo said in a statement Wednesday that he regretted Garner’s death.

“I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can’t protect themselves,” Pantaleo said. “It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Garner’s death “a terrible tragedy that no family should have to endure,” and said he would continue to work to decrease the use of excessive force among officers.

“This is a subject that is never far from my family’s minds – or our hearts,” he said. “And Eric Garner’s death put a spotlight on police-community relations and civil rights – some of most critical issues our nation faces today.”

The decision in the Garner case comes just over a week after a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, declined to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. A series of protests erupted nationwide immediately following the decision in Ferguson, and New York officials braced for similar protests on Wednesday.

Heightened police presence is expected throughout Staten Island and across the city to help quell demonstrations as they unfold. De Blasio cleared his schedule once the decision was announced, and he is expected to go to Staten Island to meet with officials and activists.

The mayor acknowledged in his statement that many would be upset with the outcome, and encouraged protesters not to resort to violence.

“New York City owns a proud and powerful tradition of expressing ourselves through non-violent protest,” he said. “We trust that those unhappy with today’s grand jury decision will make their views known in the same peaceful, constructive way. We all agree that demonstrations and free speech are valuable contributions to debate, and that violence and disorder are not only wrong – but hurt the critically important goals we are trying to achieve together.”

Civil rights leader Al Sharpton told The New York Times Wednesday that he had spoken with the Garner family and they were not surprised by the announcement. He also said that before the grand jury had reached its decision, he had met with federal prosecutors to ask them to take over the case.

“People thought we were being extreme,’” Sharpton said. “But now, I think you can see, we have no confidence in the state grand juries, whether in Ferguson or in New York, because there is an intrinsic relationship between state prosecutors and the police; they depend on the police for their evidence, they run for office and depend on the unions for endorsements.”

State Assemblyman Karim Camara, chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, ridiculed the non-indictment as an “outrage,” but urged peaceful protest from New York residents.

“District Attorney Donovan’s failure to win an indictment against the police officer responsible for Eric Garner’s death is an outrage,” Camara said in a statement. “However, it’s important that we first remember that Mr. Garner’s life was lost and even an indictment would not have brought him back. Our thoughts and prayers should be with his family today.”

The New York Civil Liberties Union, meanwhile, called for wholesale reform of the NYPD.

“The failure of the Staten Island Grand Jury to file an indictment in the killing of Eric Garner leaves New Yorkers with an inescapable question: How will the NYPD hold the officers involved accountable for his death? And what will Commissioner Bratton do to ensure that this is the last tragedy of its kind?,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman.

“Unless the Police Department aggressively deals with its culture of impunity and trains officers that they must simultaneously protect both safety and individual rights, officers will continue to believe that they can act without consequence.”

“Here we are, 20 years after the NYPD placed an absolute ban on chokeholds, and we still see that they are widely used and sometimes to used to deadly effect,” City Council Member Rory Lancman told The Huffington Post in July. “Clearly, we need to do more to deter use of chokeholds and hold people accountable when they are used.”

On Thursday, Common Council President Willie L. Hines, Jr. released this statement regarding the inquest decision in the Derek Williams case:

After months of an inquest investigation, I was pleased to hear an advisory verdict rendered today in the case that stems from the death in police custody of Derek Williams. The jury determined that there was probable cause to believe a crime had been committed, and that criminal charges should be filed against three of the officers involved in Williams’s death.

I am grateful to hear that some strides toward justice are being made in the death of Derek Williams. This verdict marks a significant advancement in an attempt to hold individual police officers accountable for their actions.

Compiled by MCJ Staff Though the Milwaukee Police Department is being scrutinized by the public and media for recent unlawful activities of some officers, Ald. Joe Davis warned the criminal element not to get too comfortable or bold thinking they have carte blanche over the city. “Let’s be clear about one thing, (the recent abuses of power by MPD) is not an invitation for lawbreakers to try and hide their crimes behind accusations against MPD officers who are simply doing their jobs,” Davis said recently as the MPD and Fire and Police Commission struggle to regain the public’s trust. Within the last two years, the MPD has been underfire for incidents in which officers have been accused of using excessive force towards individuals in their custody. Recent revelatiions in the death of Darryl Williams in the back of a police squad car, an officer hitting a handcuffed female suspect in the back of a squad car (both incidents caught on video tape), and allegatioins of illegal strip searches by officers of suspected drug dealers has put the department and its chief, Edward Flynn on the defensive. Even the Fire and Police Commission has come under scrutiny. Last December, the commission reinstated the officer who assaulted the woman in the squad car. The ruling touched off a fire storm of condemnation by the community, elected officials and civil rights organization that led to calls for the dismantlement of the commission. Though the commission reversed its decision, the dye had been cast and the governing body that oversees the fire and police departments finds itself also under the microscope of public opinion. Davis stressed the scrutiny the MPD is experiencing is “a good thing” for both it and the community. “I strongly urge anyone who believes they are the legitimate victims of police abuse of power to come forward and report it.” Davis, who is a member of the Council’s Public Safety Committee, said officers who commit crimes can expect to be brought to justice within the confines of police procedure and the law. “I will not advocate for police to turn a blind euye to crime,” Davis added. “If a person continues to engae in illegal activity and leaves police no choice but to utilize an appropriate level of force in apprehending that criminal, I expect police to do their jobs and enforce he law. The law-abiding public deserves no less. “There is a balance between right and wrong,” Davis said. “Milwaukee police officers must follow the rules that have been established to protect the public, just as criminals should NOT expect to be pardoned for their wrong doing simply by crying “foul” and making frivolous claims of police brutaility.”

The always controversial and always much too vocal former D.C. mayor and now City Councilman Marion Barry (pictured) advised officers to “get in the gym, go on a diet,” according to the Huffington Post.Barry made his inflammatory statement after he claims to have witnessed two D.C. police officers experiencing bouts of shortness of breath as they gave chase to a suspect they were trying to apprehend. After viewing the pitiful scene, Barry contacted the capitol’s Chief of Police Chief Cathy Lanier and urged her to take action.

“Lanier needs to start a rigorous training program for these police officers to get in shape, because these guys will outrun you every time,” said Barry.

Lanier, did not reportedly take too kindly to Barry’s criticism and fired back at him with a few choice words of her own. “To disparage that officer who puts his life on the line daily to protect our communities is offensive,” she said.

But are there physical fitness requirements that must be revisited throughout a D.C. law enforcement officer’s career? Apparently not, according to Kris Baumann, the police union boss. Baumann told the Washington City Paper that the only physical fitness minimums a D.C. officer has to meet are when they are first hired and that is it. Physical fitness is not monitored and members of the force are not obliged to maintain any fitness goals along the way.

Barry’s latest comments about the city’s police force are not the only incendiary remarks he’s made during his spotted political career. He made an astonishingly offensive remark at a press conference back in April about some Asian-owned shops in his southeast city council district: “We’ve got to do something about these Asians coming in, opening up businesses, those dirty shops. They ought to go. I’ll just say that right now, you know. But we need African-American businesspeople to be able to take their places, too.”

Asians nationwide were outraged over his racist commentary; he later apologized via Twitter but then defended the “facts” of his statement.

Earlier this month, Barry fired off a letter to all of his council member colleagues accusing the D.C. Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO, Barbara Lang, of being a traitor to her African-American race for opposing his ex-offender legislation.

Barry also sent off a missive on Monday to Phil Mendelson who opposed his crusade of winning broad legal protections for formally incarcerated criminals who have completed their sentences. In the letter, Barry called Mendelson a “white southerner who opposed the public accommodation bill and the Civil Rights Act.”

Recently 75 children shopped for holiday gifts with Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr., Sheriff’s deputies and officers from area law enforcement agencies for a day filled with the holiday spirit and giving.

Sheriff Clarke first became aware of the event while he was visiting family in Green Bay and he saw the nationally acclaimed “Shop with a Cop” program advertised in a local newspaper. The program builds positive relationships among law enforcement officers and young people in the community. In 2007, Sheriff Clarke started the program in Milwaukee County.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office reached out to the Milwaukee-area business community and successfully secured funding for the program for its sixth year. Donations will allow children from the Boys and Girls Club, Neighborhood House, Hillside Family Resource Center, Frank Lloyd Wright School, and South Milwaukee Human Concerns to enjoy breakfast and a day of holiday shopping with a law enforcement officer.

Each child (ages 5-13) was paired with a law enforcement officer. They boarded a charter bus and headed to the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel for a catered breakfast and then to Walmart. At Walmart, the children were able to purchase up to $100 worth of gifts for family members and themselves. After shopping, they headed to the Pieper Boys & Girls Club where a volunteer team wrapped their gifts while the kids took pictures with Santa and enjoyed pizza and entertainment provided by volunteers from American Enterprises International.

This year, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s deputies were joined by City of Milwaukee, Bayside, Fox Point, Hales Corners, South Milwaukee, Whitefish Bay and UWM police officers, along with officers from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Veterans Affairs Police, and Wisconsin State Fair Park Police.

“This is a great opportunity to make a child’s holiday a little brighter,” said Sheriff Clarke. “If we influence children early, we can forge a positive perception of law enforcement officers that will last a lifetime.”

Four Milwaukee police officers were charged Tuesday with felonies related to illegally strip searching and sexually assaulting nearly a dozen people over a two-year span.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm charged Michael Vagnini with 25 counts, including conducting an illegal strip search, misconduct in office, sexual assault and conducting an illegal body cavity search.

The most serious charge against Vagnini – second-degree sexual assault – carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and 15 years on supervision.

Chisholm also charged Jeffrey Dollhopf with conducting an illegal strip search, conducting an illegal body cavity search and two counts of misconduct in public office; Brian Kozelek with conducting an illegal strip search and misconduct in public office; and Jacob Knight with conducting an illegal body cavity search and misconduct in public office.

The charges in the strip-search case resulted from dozens of citizens complaints and an investigation in District 5 that began in March when the police department notified the district attorney’s office of the allegations.

State law and police procedures prohibit officers from conducting cavity searches. Only medical personnel are allowed to perform them, and police must first obtain a search warrant.

Community leaders and public officials vocalized their concern for the safety of the community, given the latest police misconduct.

Said Common Council President Willie Hines: “While it is always disappointing to see an officer of the law charged with an abuse of office, I am heartened and relieved to see that four Milwaukee Police officers are being charged with carrying out alleged illegal strip searches against citizens in our city.”

Adding: “What is needed now is a quick and thorough prosecution of the four officers who are charged, and for those found guilty of having committed crimes to be held accountable for their actions.”

Like Hines, State Sen. Lena Taylor said the mere step of charging the officers with felonies is not enough. “This one step cannot replace the need for greater accountability and reform,” she said.

In a statement released Wednesday, members of the Common Council requested that the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin conduct a general federal investigation into the entire department.

“The public release of further details about these alleged crimes is critical to maintaining the accountability our constituents demand,” they said.

The charges come at a time when Police Chief Edward Flynn is under intense scrutiny for his judgment and handling of the Derek Williams and Darius Simmons cases. Williams’ death while in police custody has sparked widespread outrage, while the community remains appalled by the treatment of Simmons’ mother after he was gunned down by an elderly neighbor.